Rooftop PV

Chile reached record levels of PV curtailment in the first five months of this year. The amount of renewable energy that could not be integrated into the electricity grid hit 735 GWh, up 86% from the same period in 2022.

Tubesolar, which specializes in the development and production of photovoltaic thin-film tubes for agrivoltaic applications, has filed for insolvency in Germany. It currently employs around 140 people.

Rodrigo Sauaia, the president of the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (Absolar), recently spoke with pv magazine about power purchase agreements, regulated auctions, macroeconomics conditions, and electricity prices in Brazil. He said the Latin American country could add 4.6 GW of utility-scale solar capacity this year, as well as another 5.5 GW from distributed generation.

Volkswagen France has commissioned a 20 MW solar carport project at its facility in Villers-Cotterêts, In northern France’s Hauts-de-France region.

Sofar, a China-based inverter and battery manufacturer, has introduced a new series of microinverters for balcony solar arrays and rooftop PV systems. They have a 97.5% efficiency rating and offer between 500 VA and 2,400 VA of rated power.

The European residential storage battery market has grown significantly during the energy crisis, but it has remained relatively small in France. Nevertheless, battery manufacturers expect higher demand due to rising electricity prices.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, presents the solar irradiance data it collected for June, which showed that Mexico, the US Southwest and Midwest, and Canada received significantly above average solar irradiance. The enhanced solar generation was particularly welcome in Mexico and the Southwest, where it helped meet higher electricity demand caused by record-breaking heatwaves.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducted a time-motion study and found that retrofitting roof-integrated PV requires 7% less labor than standard solar installations. For new builds, installation times fall by 44%.

Sonnex Energie is offering five versions of its new PV modules, with power outputs of 395 W to 415 W and power conversion efficiencies ranging from 20.23% to 21.25%. They also have a temperature coefficient of -0.35% per degree Celsius.

The European solar landscape changed forever in 2022 and managing the supply chain, grid, and permitting constraints will be key to a solar-dominated energy future for the continent.